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简要 (jiǎn yào) — concise, brief

Definition

Brief and to the point, typically of reports, summaries, or statements — more about trimming content than style. Pair 简短/简洁 for speech and writing; 短暂 is about time, not text.

adjective
concisebrief

Examples

  • 简要，。
    Tā de bào gào hěn jiǎn yào, zhǐ yǒu liǎng yè.
    His report is very concise, only two pages.
  • 简要。
    Qǐng yòng jiǎn yào de yǔ yán shuō míng nǐ de xiǎng fǎ.
    Please explain your ideas in concise language.
  • 简要，。
    Zhè piān zhāi yào xiě dé hěn jiǎn yào, zhòng diǎn tū chū.
    This abstract is written very concisely, with key points highlighted.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

简jiǎnsimple; concise
要yàoessential; important

简 and 要 both contribute the ideas of being simple and essential, giving the sense of concise.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 簡; 简 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhú
Sound part声符shēngfú
間
閒xián簡jiǎn
Same sound today

In the traditional form 簡, 竹 (bamboo) is paired with 間 (also written 閒) as a sound part; the simplified 简 is a later shorthand.

Open 简 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Communication & Speech

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